Page 54 of Of Nine So Bold

“Go!” Casimir ordered Ruhl.

The shadow wolf rushed upward, pouring out of the window that was now above our heads. Screams followed.

“Are you okay?” my vampire continued to me.

I tried to nod, but it only made my head spin. “Yes.” Carefully, I glanced at Ozias. My mate lay at an awkward angle, his shoulder crushed against the interior corner. Pain radiated through our connection.

But he was already struggling to rise. “Stay down,” he snarled at me.

Not waiting to see if I would listen, he straightened carefully. His nose twitched, and then a low growl left him.

Moving fast, he lunged up through the window. A shout followed, but it cut off quickly as he snapped the neck of the man who’d been climbing to reach us.

A small object tumbled from the man’s hand, clattering through the carriage.

Only to burst into flame a moment later.

Fire rushed over the upholstery like it couldn’t devour it fast enough. Only the mud saved the sodden curtains beneath me from joining it.

“Shift!” Casimir snapped at me.

I didn’t need the order. Swiftly, I abandoned human form, rushing upward as fast as I could and grabbing Ozias as I passed.

He was huge. Heavy.

Thank the gods for vampire strength.

But outside was chaos, and my strange senses in this form took it all in at once. Enormous men attacked from every side. They moved like a unit, wielding their weapons with lethal precision. Their uniforms were terrifyingly familiar.

Huntsmen. Mystepmother’sHuntsmen.

Leather armor covered them, with crimson sashes across their chests pinned by emblems of Aneiran silver apples. Leather masks made each of their faces the same, and they bore more weapons than any other soldier could hope to carry. From axes to swords to bows, they were masters of them all.

A Huntsman had spared my life once, leaving me in the mountains rather than cutting out my heart and returning it to my stepmother like she’d ordered.

None of these seemed inclined to spare anyone.

Bodies lay on the road. The humans who’d been with us, and of their number, the survivors were barely holding their ground. Valeria was shouting to her people, trying to keep them together, but the Huntsmen were too strong. Steadily, they broke through the humans’ lines of defense, separating my allies’ numbers into smaller groups where they would be more easily picked off. Dex and Byron were likewise trapped, fending off attacks from all sides. Nearby, Lars and Clay were backed up against the carriage, and Clay cursed vehemently as smoke began pouring from the window behind me.

Surging forward, Casimir charged at the Huntsmen attacking Dex and Byron, Ruhl at his side. The Huntsmen screamed as the vampire and shadow wolf tore into them. In my grip, Ozias snarled something unintelligible. I could feel him urging me to let him go.

But panic held me fast. Everyone was here, fighting and attempting not to die.

Except Roan.

Oh gods, I couldn’t find Roan anywhere. The demon either.

On the air, a trace of his blood caught me, drawing me like a beacon. I dropped over the side of the carriage.

He was there. On the ground in human form, half pinned beneath the carriage and the driver’s seat.

Rage and horror flooded me. He wasn’t moving. Blood coated his face from a savage gash on his temple.

My vampire senses pierced my terror. I could hear the slow thud of his heartbeat. The shallow breaths in his lungs. Both were faint, but it didn’t matter. He was alive.

Oh, thank the gods.

I dove for him, releasing Ozias as I went. My mate was already shifting form before his feet hit the ground. In only a moment, a massive beast stood where he had been.

---